Explore the sublime mystery of lacquer.
“With lacquerware there is an extra beauty in that moment between removing the lid and lifting the bowl to the mouth, when one gazes at the still, silent liquid in the dark depths of the bowl, its colour hardly differing from that of the bowl itself. What lies within the darkness one cannot distinguish, but the palm senses the gentle movements of the liquid, vapour rises from within, forming droplets on the rim, and the fragrance carried upon the vapour brings a delicate anticipation … a moment of mystery, it might almost be called, a moment of trance.”
Junichiro Tanizaki, In Praise of Shadows
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Saya Yamagishi ✿ Talismanic chintz - Our first laurel of 2024 goes to a Japanese lacquer artist who is enchanted by the arabesque patterns of medieval manuscripts.
Lacquerware needs two legs to walk: The wisdom of master Gan Erke - Gan Erke and Li Zhiwei talk about the inheritance and development of Chinese lacquerware.
Craft Culture in Early Modern Japan: Learning by doing - D Wood reviews Christine Guth’s Craft Culture in Early Modern Japan and finds fascinating detail about the elaborate world of makers.
Veronica Gritsenko ✿ A lacquer journey from Ukraine to Myanmar - Susanna Pang follows the journey of Veronica Gritsenko who found a way of fusing Ukrainian folk scenes with Myanmar lacquer craft.
Genta HAYASHI ✿ Jūbako for the time of plum blossom - Our March laurel is awarded to Genta HAYASHI from Osaka for a beautifully made but complex lacquer container that celebrates the coming of spring and plum blossoms.
The box: A magic object of objects - Beginning with the Japanese animation Spirited Away, Bic Tieu traces her fascination for the magic of the box in Japanese craft and discovers how it connects humans and nature.
Following the Lacquer God - Dave van Gompel writes about the extraordinary commitment required to master lacquer, and why it has a new-found relevance today.
Hanoia ✿ Vietnamese history in lacquer - Our December laurel goes to Hanoia and Tran Nu Yen Khe for an object that uses the medium of lacquer poignantly to tell a story of deep history.
Ceramics for the Autumn Takayama Festival (Hachiman Matsuri) - For the upcoming Autumn Takayama Festival, Gallery VOICE is presenting work by six ceramic artists and the golden lacquer art called Shunkei.
The re-awakening of lacquer in China today 🇨🇳 - Liu Huan reflects personally on the enduring value of lacquer in Chinese culture and project to revive its spirit for modern consumers. 
Why a Japanese lacquer master sought a surfing legend - Lacquer is a gift of the ancients that is largely forgotten today. Sachiko Matsuyama is convinced of its value not just for its redolent surface but also as a bond between people and nature. She finds an inspiring future for lacquer in the work of Takuya Tsutsumi, in partnership with an Australian surfboard maker. 
An orchid in the desert – the lacquer journey of Bic Tieu - Kevin Murray explores how Bic Tieu uses the medium of lacquer to tell a unique Australian story,
Kōgei Hackathon: Toyama transforms craft - Sari Hayashiguchi introduces the results of a creative storm that re-configured traditional crafts in Takaoka City.
Yoo Pil-mu, the brush master artisan - In January, Jeungpyeong-gun’s first Chungcheongbuk-do Intangible Cultural Property was recognized. This was Yoo Pil-mu, the brush master artisan, who has been maintaining the tradition of Korean brush alone for the past 40 years, was named as the first.
Japan matters in Sydney: An exhibition of material design - Shifts in Japanese Materiality is an exhibition of contemporary works by experimental Japanese and Australian designers, curated by Bic Tieu at Sydney's Japan Foundation Gallery,
Hanji – before and after Korea by Jan Coveney - Han-ji is the word for traditional Korean paper and it's also used to describe the art of making objects out of the paper.
Ott-chil (Korean lacquer): A tradition for the present - Misun Rheem reveals the complexity of lacquer craft and its significance as a link between yesterday and today.